Sudan

(1,088 words)

Jews arrived in Sudan from Egypt in the second half of the nineteenth century, seeking freedom of religion and trade opportunities. In 1885, the mahdi entered Omdurman and declared it his capital. During his reign, all non-Muslims in Omdurman, including its eight Jewish families, were forced to accept Islam or die. In 1898, Sir Herbert Kitchener overpowered the mahdist state and established a joint British-Egyptian administration in Sudan. Most of the Jewish families then reclaimed their Judaism. Their leader was Ben-Ṣiyyon Koshty (Hebron, 1842–Omdurman, 1918). In January …